Fake robot verification screen on University of Seoul website prompts malware infection

[Financial News] A fake “robot verification” (reCAPTCHA) screen designed to induce malware infection was displayed on the University of Seoul website for several days, threatening users’ cybersecurity, it has emerged.
According to the University of Seoul and other sources on the 3rd, reports were received that a fake robot verification screen appeared when users accessed the university website from the 30th of last month through that day. The Student Council said measures had been taken to ensure the issue was no longer occurring.
reCAPTCHA is a process for verifying that a user is a real person rather than a robot, intended to prevent spam or hacking involving automated bots. Verification screens that appear alongside phrases commonly seen on websites, such as “I’m not a robot,” are examples of this.
The fake screen that appeared on the University of Seoul website reportedly masqueraded as a legitimate verification process and prompted users to execute malicious commands themselves. Running them could infect the computer with malware.
The university urged users not to follow any instructions telling them to press “Windows key + R,” “Ctrl + V” or “Enter,” and to close the window instead. If they had already followed the instructions, it advised disconnecting the computer from the internet and formatting it. It also advised users to change, on another device, the passwords for portals, email and other services they had accessed on that computer.
The University of Seoul Student Council said the university administration had agreed to provide as much support as possible for formatting students’ personal computers and laptops. Information about follow-up measures was expected to be shared through a portal-wide notification sometime that evening. 

[email protected] Lee Hwan-joo Reporter